


Where's your head?

by scyler23



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn isn't a total jerk, Everything will make sense I promise, F/M, Imperial Noctis, M/M, Magiteck prosthetics, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, White haired Noctis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-01-04 19:35:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18350294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scyler23/pseuds/scyler23
Summary: Nox Vaullerey, the civilian alias for the legendary Dragon Knight of Niflheim, has decided to take a vacation. Where does he go? The absolute last place in the world someone so high ranking the in the Imperial Army should ever go.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! New story here, based on a few different ideas. The main one being you know how sometimes Noctis has white hair when the lighting is just so? That's where part of this came form. I also really started liking the idea of Noct as an Imperial after reading a piece called "Legacy" (really good you should totally check it out). Also, the whole "Ardyn is not a total jerk" comes from the fact that I've gotten my hands on Episode Ardyn... No spoilers, but I can totally see why he hates the line of Lucis. Anyway, please enjoy!

“Are you sure you really want to do this boss?” a soft voice asked, sounding tinny through the headphone speakers.

 

“I’m sure, Marci. I need the break,” the other answered as blue eyes looked out of one dirty window on the old bus. “I’m never going to get a proper break if I stay there, you know that, and as much as I love you all to pieces I need some space.” 

 

“Just so long as you’re sure. Thought I wish you would have taken...” Marci said before the blue eyed man cut him off. 

 

“I have to let you go Marcel, the bus is stopping,” the blue eyed man said, rising to his feet as the bus creaked to a halt. 

 

“Take care of yourself, Nox. you know how to get a hold of us if you need us,” Marcel replied before the connection cut. 

 

Carefully pulling out the headphones Nox dismounted the bus, following the other passengers to a small window set into the side of the gate. After maybe ten minutes of waiting, in which he had pulled his long white hair back into a low ponytail Nox arrived at the window. The black uniformed soldier looked absolutely bored out of his mind, silver eyes glassy. 

 

“Long day?” Nox asked softly, not wanting to startle the man. 

 

Blinking sharply and shaking his head the man gave a crooked smirk, “You could say that again. I’ve been here for way too long and my knees are starting to ache.” 

 

Nox laughed as he fished his paperwork out of the duffel bag at his side, “I’m sorry to hear that. You don’t seem like someone who lives behind a desk all day to me. What happened?” 

 

“Got it in one, kid. I’m Kingsglaive, Nyx Ulric,” the silver eyed man smiled as he accepted the papers and looked them over. “I might have mouthed off to my superior officer and started a fight with another over something stupid. The usual shit I get in trouble for.” 

 

“That sucks for you, Sir Ulric,” Nox laughed, hoping it didn’t sound too fake after hearing what Nyx’s usual job was. “Bet you’d rather be out there, sticking it to the Empire right?”

 

Nyx grinned at him before passing his paperwork back, “What are you, physic? If not you’re really good at figuring things out. Now, I’m sorry to cut this short and I know you’ve probably heard this before but you here for business or pleasure?”

 

“Pleasure, I’m here for a vacation,” Nox said, smiling softly. 

 

“Then, welcome to Insomnia, Nox Vaullerey. Enjoy your stay here in the Crown City.” 

 

* * *

 

After hitching a ride with some of the other people heading across the bridge Nox found the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. Meeting a member of the Kingsglaive right off the bat made him more than a little nervous. Thankfully the man didn’t seem to recognize him. That was the absolute last thing he needed right now. He really was here on vacation! Getting called out on being the Dragon Knight of Niflhiem would be nothing short of a disaster. As he sifted in his heat a bit as soft rustling sound drew his attention to his paperwork. 

 

There, on top of everything, was a note written in Galahdian. Blinking slowly Nox wondered when the hell the glaive had time to write the note and stick it to his work without him noticing. That and he wondered how the other knew that he could read Galahdian. As he leaned forward to get a better look at the note one of the small braids that had been hiding in his ponytail fell over his shoulder. Tugging lightly at the braid and shaking his head slowly he carefully read the note. 

 

“Sorry if I wigged u out when I said I was Kingsglaive. Let me make it up to u? I’m not asking just cuse ur cute, cuse u r... I’m gonna stop now...” 

 

The startling long note was followed by a string of numbers that Nox assumed had to by Nyx’s phone number. Running a hand over his now burning cheeks he flipped the papers face down in his lap and looked out one of the windows. Apparently he’d been so distracted by something that he totally missed the way the other man was apparently checking him out. Huffing softly he covered the faint smile on his face, hopefully before one of the others with him saw. 

 

Unfortunately luck was not on his side as the person sitting next to him asked if he was alright. Carefully waving the other off he pulled out his phone before flipping the papers over again. Staring down at the string of numbers he bit his lip slightly. He was trying to keep a low profile and spending time with a member of King Regis’s elite fighting force was very much not low profile. Then again, despite everything his adopted father drilled into his head about Insomnia, he knew next to nothing about the people of the Crown City. Maybe getting to know the rumored Hero of the Kingsglaive wasn’t such a bad idea after all. 

 

_ ‘Come on Noct, what the hell are you even saying here? Making friends with him will do you no good! The second he finds out who you are he won't want a damn thing to do with you... Hell, he might even try to take you out himself!’  _ the voice in the white haired man’s head screamed as his fingers hovered over the ‘create new contact’ icon. 

 

Shaking his head as if to clear it he set his phone down and looked out the window once more. By now they were getting close to the city, the outer stone wall looming closer and closer. Sighing he tucked his paperwork, and the note, back into his bag. It was probably better for him to just forget about the silver eyed glaive. Nothing good could come of getting involved with the man, even if it was for a short while. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gang! Chapter 2 of this little shite show! So far it seems that this is getting a good reception? Maybe? Anyway, I'm in the middle of Camp NaNoWriMo, so stuff is gonna get updated in a wonky way all month. Stay tuned people!

It took Nox almost two days to settle into the small apartment he managed to rent for some odd jobs around the complex until he could actually make some money. Why in the world the Crown City used a different currency than the rest of Eos the white haired man had no idea. At first he had been all set up to stay in a decent hotel room, but when he arrived there he found that somehow his reservation had been canceled. Not only that but the room had been filled and there were no more available rooms at that hotel that he could stay in. That was when he found out that Insomnia apparently used a currency called Yen rather than the standard Gil. 

 

He’d also found out that there was no real conversion rate between the two currencies. That meant there was no way the Gil he had brought with him would be any good here. It might as well have just been decorative coins and banknotes at that point. After leaving the hotel with his wallet full of useless money he had found his way down into the immigrant district. 

 

It had been nice to hear the languages of Galahad and Cavaugh and a few other places spoken all in one place. Walking through the district he had smiled at seeing how the people had made the place feel more like home. He’d found a place on a bench and was contemplating staying there when someone had walked up and asked if he had a place to stay. 

 

After informing the other of what had happened and what he’d learned he had been pleasantly surprised to be shown to the apartment complex. The man, the landlord apparently, had asked him to do a few odd jobs around the building while he was looking for a way to actively make money to pay the rent. Nox had been more than happy to agree. 

 

Today, after finally getting settled, he was actively going to go and look or something he could do. Moving through the district he saw several shops that had help wanted signs in the windows. Carefully floating in and back out of the shops he finally stopped when he came to a small cafe. It might not be something he was used to but it caught his interest more than the little retail shops he’d floated through earlier. 

 

By now he’d left the immigrant district behind and was Insomnia proper. The people sitting on the little patio were clearly better off, financially speaking, than those in the immigrant district, but Nox reasoned that it might be why the cafe seemed to be doing so well. The soft bell shime when he walked through the front door had a uniformed waiter at his side in a few seconds. 

 

“Hello, sir. How can I assist you today?” the young man asked with a polite bow. 

 

“I was actually wondering if there were any serving positions available,” Nox smiled, before giving a nervous laugh. “I’m in a bit of an awkward situation actually. Do you think I might be able to talk to a manager about it?” 

 

The young man blinked at him for a moment before smiling, “Give me just a moment, sir. Would you like to take a seat while I go speak to my manager?” 

 

Nox nodded and was quickly lead to a table out of the way. HE was surprised that he didn’t have to wait too long before a well dressed woman arrived at the table. Standing he with a smile the woman, who introduced herself as Mera Heratly, shook his hand before the both took a seat. 

 

“So, Jared tells me that you’re looking for a job but are in some thing of an awkward situation?” Mera asked giving him a confused look.

 

“Well, I’m here on vacation but my hotel room got canceled. On top of that I come to find that Gil is useless in this city. That officially means, despite the fact that I do have money, I’m basically broke, but don’t have a bank account here,” Nox explained scratching at the back of his head with a nervous laugh. 

 

Mera just looked at him before shaking her head slowly, “That is a bit of a conundrum, Mr?”

 

“Vaullerey, Nox Vaullerey. Sorry, I probably should have lead with that, shouldn’t I?” Nox laughed wanting nothing more than to bury himself in a hole right now. 

 

“Mr. Vaullerey,” Mera nodded before folding her hands and continuing. “As I happens I do happen to have a part time position available. Do you have a date for when you are leaving Insomnia?” 

 

Nox smiled and leaned back in his chair a bit, “Actually I never had an end date. That might have been why the hotel canceled my room. I’m here until I get tired of the city, really.” 

 

“So, it could be a while or not very long at all?” Mera was sounding a little less friendly at the thought of someone starting and potentially leaving in a few weeks. 

 

“Well, from what I’ve seen, that won’t happen for a while now. This city is massive and I want to see everything. It’s going to take more than a few weeks to cover a city of this size,” Nox said with a smile. 

 

Mera nodded slowly before asking for his contact information. When she had it all written down she smiled and said that she would think about it and give him a call either way. Nox thanked her with a low bow and a smile. Leaving the cafe he made his way to one of the parks dotted around the city. Settling one a bench he pulled out his phone. 

 

The small device had a faint blue glow to it as he gave it a slight shake to turn on the screen. Immediately several notifications popped up to alert him to several missed text messages from his people and even one from his father. Rolling his eyes at the messages from his people he opened the message from his father. 

 

_ “Noctis, I hope this message finds you well. I hope that you made it where you intended and that everything is going well. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.  _

_ -Ardyn” _

 

Sighing at the formal nature of his adopted father’s message Nox grimaced at the use of his real name. Glancing around to make sure there was no one around he penned a quick response. It wasn’t often that Ardyn messaged him like this, though he never seemed to get it through his head to use the name “Nox” instead of “Noctis”. People in the Empire knew that Noctis Izunia was the adopted son of Chancellor Ardyn Izunia and the Dragon Knight. Nox Vaullerey, on the other hand, was a nobody. He was no one special and no one cared about him. It made traveling around the Empire and the surrounding areas easy. 

 

_ “Ardyn, how many times do I have 2 tell u; call me Nox outside the Keep. Things r going good, wish u’d told me abt the different currency, tho. Threw a wrench in my plans... Anway things r good, i’ll keep u posted.” _

 

Sending the message, and not really expecting a reply, he started checking the other messages. He was so engrossed that he missed having someone walk past him only to stop and walk back in front of him. It was the sharp clearing of someone’s throat  that had him looking up sharply. Standing in front of him, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket and Kingsglaive issue boots, was Nyx Ulric. 

 

“Hey, stranger,” the glaive grinned, totally oblivious to the stunned look on the white haired man’s face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sucker got really long. Hope ya'll like it!

“Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Vaullerey. I would have thought that you would be in one of the areas more geared toward the tourists. What brings you to this side of town?” Nyx asked, still oblivious to the stunned look he was getting from the white haired man. 

 

Nox just stared at him for a moment more before giving himself a shake, “W-well, there was a bit of a problem with my hotel room and the fact that Insomnia uses a different currency that has no exchange rate with the Gil... I’m here on vacation but I have to get a job and rent an apartment just so I can stay.”

 

“Seriously? Dude, that’s a little screwy. I’m sorry that happened,” Nyx scratched at the back of his head for a few seconds before continuing. “You do actually have a place to stay right now, right?” 

 

Nox nodded quickly with a smile, “Yeah, I’m good there. I just need the job so I can actually pay for it rather than doing odd jobs for the landlord. Besides, I don’t mind working on my vacation. I think I might go a little stir crazy if I didn’t have something to do.” 

 

Nyx just nodded again before letting out a huff, “Hey, um...Not to seem creepy or anything, but... uh...”

 

“I saw it, but the wind took it before I could read it,” Nox lied carefully, knowing full well that the note was sitting on the kitchen counter. 

 

“A-ah... I see... Sorry... I’m just... gonna go now...” the glaive mumbled, mentally cursing himself for even trying. 

 

Nox just sat there for a few second, chewing on his lip before sighing and calling out, “Wait!” 

 

Turning slowly back to the other Nyx just gave him a look. Sighing again Nox stood and strode over to the taller man.The glaive just gave him a deer in the headlights look before Nox smiled at him and held out his phone. 

 

“I lost the paper, but if you still want to hang out with me you can give it to me right now,” the younger man smiled as he shook his phone slightly. 

 

Nyx just looked at him for a moment before realization hit. Carefully taking the other’s phone he typed his number and name into the proper fields. Handing the device back, silently noting that it seemed to resonate with the magic thrumming beneath his skin, he grinned at the other. Nox saved the glaive’s contact information and sent him a quick text so the other would have his, a soft smile on his face. 

 

“Sweet! Uh... I don’t know if you’re busy later but some friends and I are going out drinking. Do you want to, maybe, come with us?” Nyx asked carefully, scratching the back of his neck slightly. 

 

Nox bit his lip slightly before answering, “Maybe. I still need to actually do some job hunting and I still need to do a few things around the building to cover myself for the next few days or so. I am also totally and completely broke, remember?”

 

“Right, right. Maybe another time then,” Nyx said with a lopsided smirk. “I mean, now that we can actually talk to each other rather than just running into each other around the city we can set something up later. After you have a job, that is.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Nox smiled, tilting his head to the side just a bit as he did. 

 

“Well, I should head out. Leave you to your job hunting,” the glaive nodded before waving and walking away. 

 

Nox waved and watched the other walk away for a few seconds before heading back to the bench he’d been sitting on before. Dropping down onto the seat he put his head in his hands. This was what he had been hoping to avoid. Getting involved with a member of the Kingsglaive, even under an assumed name, was going to bite him in the ass sooner rather than later. Nyx seemed like a decent guy, but he was just worried about how he was going to react if he ever found out just who Nox really was. Thankfully, before he could go too far down that dark path, his phone rang sharply. Lifting the device he saw that it was Marcel calling. 

 

“I just talked to you two days ago Marci. What’s going on?” he asked in lieu of a greeting. 

 

“Nice to hear your voice too, boss,” Marcel snarked before sighing. “I hope things are going well for you where you are.” 

 

“OK, you don’t sound too good. What the hell is going on?” Nox asked feeling dread starting to sink its claws into his throat. 

 

“The Haven is farther along than we thought. They should be asking for crew by the end of this year and gearing up for an assault with it shortly thereafter,” Marcel murmured, knowing that the news was probably going to anger the other. 

 

Nox just sat there for a few seconds before swearing colorfully and letting his phone fall between his knees. Pinching the bridge of his nose the white haired knight sat there for a few seconds, just breathing, lest he completely lose it on the other. When he finally had his breathing under control he put the phone back to his ear. 

 

“Is there anything we can do to delay it’s progress?” he asked carefully. 

 

“Not unless we want to give ourselves away, no. We’re already doing everything we can without arousing suspicion but even that isn’t enough. There are a few members of the dock crew that keep shooting us odd looks when we come through, even in full disguise armor,” Marcel admitted quietly and Nox could hear the other typing in the background. 

 

“Damn... are you working on something right now?” he asked as the typing just kept going. 

 

“Actually I am,” Marcel replied. “They wanted me to check some of the code seeing as I actually know what I’m doing despite not being in the science department. I’m fixing their work but I’m also adding a few things that might give us an edge or it might just be something redundant. We’ll see how this goes.” 

 

Nox hummed softly and rubbed at his temple with his free hand, “Fine, keep me posted. IF things start getting farther along than they already are I need to know about it. If it comes to that then I will be coming back as soon as I am able.”

 

“Not a problem, boss. I’ll keep you posted and I’ll tell the other’s to do the same,” Marcel acquiesced as the typing paused briefly before resuming at the same pace.  

 

Nox listened for a few seconds before shaking his head, “Perhaps I should let you get back to working on your little project. Call me if things change.”

 

“Will do, boss,” Marcel snapped back before they both cut the connection. 

 

Sitting back Nox just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. This was not good, not in the slightest. If the Haven was nearing completion then that meant that he was going to have to figure out how to try and inform Lucis without revealing who he was. That seemed a little counterproductive, considering who he was to the Empire, but with all things considered it was the best course of options. Especially with what and who made up the vast majority of his Waverns. If he did nothing about the Haven then rescuing and helping them would be for nothing. 

 

“Things just got far more complicated than they have any right to be...” Nox murmured, pressing one corner of his phone into his forehead as he did.     

 

-One week later-

 

A week later found Nox landing the job at the cafe. Grateful that Mera was willing to give him a chance he had thanked her profusely when she called and told him. The woman had just laughed and told him that his first day they were going to start him off easy and get him fitted for his uniform. As soon as they had hung up Nox danced around the apartment for a few minutes before finally getting a hold of himself. It seems something was finally starting to go his way with all of this, despite the mishaps and complications. 

 

Nyx Ulric had also been something of a feature in his life for the last week. The pair had spent a lot of time talking over text. Nox found that a little funny because supposedly the other man was on duty at the Citadel for the week. It seemed he had a penchant for disregarding authority which tended to land him on duty close to the city rather than outside it doing his actual job. Nox had noticed that about the people he’d collected to his side over the last eight years or so. It was something he had come to expect from them at this point. 

 

The other was still trying to get him to come out and meet his friends, but Nox was still worried. So far he’d managed to deflect all of the other’s options by saying he was broke, but that wasn’t going to be viable for much longer. 

 

When he arrived for his first shift Mera met him at the front counter, pulling him into the back room to deal with his uniform. The uniform was a pair of trim black slacks with small silver detail work, a soft grey button down and a colored waistcoat that was unique to the server wearing it. They tried several different colors before Mera finally stopped him in one that was black with silver filigree on the front. The moment he buttoned it up she started packing the others away. Nox just gave her a raised eyebrow and she smiled. 

 

“That one is perfect. I see no need to keep trying things on,” she said packing the other waistcoats away. “Take a look for yourself.”

 

Turning Nox got a good look at himself. With his long hair pulled back in a high ponytail you could clearly see the undercut as well as the braids he spent almost an hour on every morning. Pulling his shoulders back and putting a faint smile on his face he had to admit the black and silver really did look good on him. Turning he gave his new boss a smiled. 

 

“I see we're on the same page here,” she smiled before pulling out a long black apron. “Put this on and I’ll show you how this all works.”  

 

Tying the apron around his waist Nox settling in to his first day. As promised Mera went easy on him. One of the senior waiters allowed him to shadow him for a couple hours before he was allowed to take over a couple of the tables for himself. By the time the end of his shift rolled around Nox was able to handle himself well enough. There were a few snags when he accidentally stumbled into a table and spilled a woman's drink (she was quick to forgive him after getting a good look at him) and when an order ran a little long on a wait (again the table was quick to forgive him, especially when they found out it was his first day). Beyond that it was an uneventful day. 

 

“You did good today, Nox. Here’s what you got from today,” Mera handed him a small stack of bills and a couple coins. “Come back in tomorrow at the same time and we’ll do this again. Sound good?” 

 

“Sounds fantastic, ma’am. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Nox smiled and bowed. 

 

“Good man,” Mera smiled before holding up a finger. “One more thing, leave the waist coat today. I need to get it pulled in just a little for you. It will be taken care of by tomorrow and after that you’ll be in charge of it, got that?” 

 

Nox carefully placed the folded vest on her hands before leaving the shop, a smile on his face. It felt good to actually be be making money to pay for where he was staying. His first stop on the way home was a little market to get something to actually make some food rather than just mooching off the landlord and the other tenants. They had all been understanding of what happened and were willing to help him out until he had proper money. Walking back into the building there several tenants talking with the landlord at the front desk. 

 

One of them spotted Nox and called out, “Hey, Nox! What’s in the bags?”

 

“Dinner!” the white haired man called out holding up the bags. 

 

“Does that mean you got the job at the cafe?” another asked brightly the rest of the group sharing a hopeful look. 

 

Nox did a small spin in the middle of the room, “Check the two thirds of my uniform I’m still wearing. The other part needed a little alteration, but I got the job and today was day one.”

 

“Congratulations, Nox. You did really well finding a job so quickly,” the landlord smiled as he leaned against the desk. “I’m gonna miss having someone to help me look after this place, though.”

 

“I never said I’d stop helping once I got a job. Helping out just won’t be how I pay my rent is all,” Nox smiled as he stepped into the middle of the group. 

 

“Fair enough!” the landlord laughed before shaking his head slowly. “Anyway kid, congrats on the job. Your first month rent is paid and the second is due on the first of each month. I’ll drop a letter in your box with the amount sometime during the week before, got it?”

 

“Sir, yes sir,” Nox grinned with a mock salute earning a laugh from the other people around him. 

 

“Go on, get outa here. Go make your dinner you brat,” smiled the landlord waving the white haired young man off. 

 

Nox waved to the others before heading up to his apartment. When he opened the door he felt something was off in the apartment. Setting his groceries down and closing the door as quietly as he could be produced a set of wicked looking daggers in a soft flash of blue light. Stepping carefully into the main room he flipped on the light, on dagger raised. 

 

“Good thing you still keep your wits about you, my boy,” a sickly sweet accented voice filled the room, the man it belonged to lounged in the one chair in the middle of the room smirking at the way Nox jumped. 

 

“What the hell, dad? Why are  you here?” Nox asked sharply, scrubbing one hand through his hair, mindful of the dagger still clenched in his fist. “More importantly, how did you even get into the city?” 

 

“Noctis, how many times do I have to tell you; I am not your father. Stop calling me ‘dad’. IT doesn’t suit either of us,” Ardyn said with a wave of one hand before he laced his fingers together and regarded the other. “I assumed that you would like to chat properly rather than using that infernal device you insisted that I get. Besides, a personal touch seemed like a more appropriate way to go.”

 

Banishing the weapons Nox pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “That doesn’t answer my question.”

 

“Which one would that me, Noctis?” Ardyn asked the smirk still on his face. 

 

“How did you even get into the city?” Noctis asked getting more exasperated the longer he talked to his adopted father. 

 

“You know how. You could do it too, you know, if you practiced,” Ardyn’s smirk evolved into a fond smile at the words. 

 

Noctis chose not to say anything. Ardyn, despite his insistence at not being the young man’s father, like to treat him like his child. It was enough to confuse anyone and everyone who came in contact with the pair. Ardyn just liked to mess with people which is why Noctis suspected that he did what he did. Shaking his head he left the room to gather his groceries 

 

The redhead rose from his seat to follow Noctis into the kitchen, still smiling fondly, “Are you not going to ask how I am doing? How insensitive.”

 

“I’m not gonna ask because you being here makes me assume that you’re fine. Why else would you make the trip from Gralea to Insomnia otherwise? Now, are you staying for dinner or are you just here to talk?” 

 

Ardyn just looked him for a few seconds before sighing, “I am here to talk, my boy. The Haven, and the project that goes with it, are well on their way to completion. I am certain that your have been informed of this, yes?”

 

“I know about this. It’s old news at this point. Are you just here to reiterate this or is there something else I need to know?” Noctis hissed feeling his back twitch in irritation as though something was trying to push through his shirt. 

 

“Verastel is working to input his mind itself into the Haven to take full control of the ship.”     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul! 
> 
> *sips coffee slowly* Hope ya'll enjoyed that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, one thing. From now on you might notice that I change how I refer to Noctis in the middle of a paragraph (go from calling him "Noctis" to "Nox and vicea versa). THAT IS ON PURPOSE! I'm using the changing of the name to signal that there has been a POV change without writing "blah blah POV". It makes things a little smoother, I think. Though if you're not a fan let me know and I'll work something else out. Anyway, enjoy!

The bomb of information Ardyn dropped on the knight stuck with him for the next two weeks. He managed to not let it affect how he worked, barely. Mera noticed that something was bothering him but since Noctis didn’t have any major issues she said nothing. By the end of the second week, despite knowing he was a little distracted, she gave the white haired man his own section of the cafe. He took the shift in responsibility with grace, easily floating between his tables and still managing to keep all of them happy. 

 

Noctis was more than ready to do something about the Haven by the end of the second week, but knew that leaving now wouldn’t be a good thing. He was trying to formulate a plan on his way home from work one night. Unfortunately he wasn’t getting very far. Feeling like he was about to start ripping his hair out the white haired man was distracted by a soft whistle. Blue eyes blinked in shock before landing on the uniformed man leaning against the door to his apartment building. 

 

“Nyx,” Noctis said, more than a little surprised to see the glaive. “What are you doing here? How did you even find out I lived here?”

 

“It’s not hard when you’re looking for someone as distinctive as you, Nox,” Nyx smiled as he pushed away from the door frame.   

 

Noctis blinked and fingered his hair for a moment before speaking, “I guess this mop is a little much.”

 

“Nope, not too much at all. Just right,” Nyx smiled as he came over slung his arm across the younger man’s shoulders. “By the way I love the outfit. IT looks really good on you.” 

 

“It’s my uniform for work, actually. Why? You like what you see?” Noctis laughed as he stepped away and did a little twirl. 

 

“Yeah, actually I do like it,” Nyx laughed as he watched the other spin. 

 

Noctis just smiled as he came to a stop before stepping closer to the glaive again, “Thank you. Now, I know this might be a little blunt and way to the point but, why are you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you! It’s just this is a bit of a surprise.”

 

“Well, actually I was hoping that I could convince you to join me for a little festival going on in the lower part of the district,” Nyx said, scratching the back of his head slightly in embarrassment. “I know going out doesn’t seem to really be your thing but, I thought...” 

 

Noctis just watched the older man for a moment, mind racing. On one hand he could brush the other off and go back to keeping a low profile. On the other he could accept the other’s invitation and fall even further down the rabbit hole he was already hip deep in. Biting his lip the white haired main weighed his options. 

 

Getting closer to the glaive meant that if (read when) he found out who Noctis really was he was going to completely loose the other man. The other side of that was that he could have a potential ally if he was ever found out. The thought of using the glaive like that sent a bolt of unease through Noctis. If even just the thought of using the other as a scapegoat upset him like that he dreaded when it might come to that. 

 

“Nox?” Nyx’s voice snapped him back out of his rather dark thoughts as blue eyes met silver. “You alright there? I hope I didn't screw up just by asking you to hang out with me.” 

 

“What? No! I just had a thought pop into my head! It’s nothing you said, I promise!” Noctis said, feeling a bit like he was floundering. 

 

“Oh, good. I was hoping things were alright when you just kept looking at me like that. Sorry if I freaked you out, I really wasn’t trying to,” Nyx apologize quickly, giving the other a nervous smile. 

 

“It’s fine, really I promise,” Noctis smiled at the other before making his decision. “I would love to check out the festival with you. Just let me change first.” 

 

“Keep the vest? Please? It looks really good on you,” Nyx said, a pleading look in his eyes. 

 

Noctis sighed and shook his head before smiling at the other, “I’ll see what I have that might look good with it.” 

 

Nyx grinned brightly as he followed the white haired man into the lobby. He claimed one of the small chairs near the door while Noctis headed up to his apartment. There was a decent probability that he was going to regret accepting the other’s invite, but for the moment he was content to dig through his closet to find something that the waistcoat wouldn’t seem tacky with. He eventually settled on a pair of light jeans, a dark blue long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. 

 

Looking down at his feet he contemplated whether or not he should wear actual shoes. With his legs being MagiTeck from just above the knee down, and with the help of some mutated programing, he could actually make it look like he was wearing boots rather than being barefooted. Looking between the shoes he’d gotten for work and the worn combat boots he wore the rest of the time he decided against normal shoes. With a soft clicking and whirring sound his feet shifted. They went from looking like, well feet, to looking rather similar to Nyx’s uniform boots. Shaking his head sharply even as a blush dusted his cheeks he headed for the door. 

 

Nyx was right where he left him, playing on his phone. Looking at the man Noctis was suddenly aware of  the way his hair was tied. Swearing softly, just loud enough that Nyx heard him, he pulled his long hair from  the rough bun he’d tossed it up into. Long white hair tumbled down around his shoulders before the young man tried combing through it with his fingers. Already the braids were in disarray from the rough untying. Figuring it would probably be better to hide them for now he started to arrange them so that they were hidden in the rest of his hair before a calloused hand caught his wrist. 

 

“Let me fix it for you?” Nyx asked carefully, fully aware of what he was asking before he’d even said it. 

 

“Ah... If you’d like...” Nox mumbled dropping his hands and allowing the other to gently push him into the recently vacated chair.  

 

It only took Nyx thirty minutes to carefully finger comb the other’s hair and re-do all of the little braids he wore. Startlingly he could see several different families represented in the beads the younger man wore. The fact that most of them were tied into warrior braids threw him off as well. 

 

Most people only had the colors of their family and that of their spouse, if they were married. To have no less than (and he was counting) eight different family colors represented was unheard of. To have them all woven into warrior braids was another thing entirely. It could have any number of meanings. The main one that came to mind was that the colors represented people who had fought at the younger’s side. That was a plausible explanation, but there were several others. 

 

Not wanting to pry because he’d already wigged the other out when they first me he said nothing until he finished, “Alright, you’re all set.” 

 

“How do I look?” Nox asked as he rose to his feet and turned toward the glaive. 

 

Nyx just looked at the other for a moment before smiling, “Perfect.”

 

Nox smiled at him before heading for the door, one arm cocked out for the glaive to loop his own through. Doing just that Nyx led them back out into the district, taking a few seconds to admire his handiwork. He had redone all of the braids Nox already had before weaving them carefully together. They framed the rest of his long white hair on both sides where it spilled down his back in a narrow fall. The way he had woven them together showed off all of the beads in the individual braids. The weave also served to hold Nox’s hair back and out of his face. 

 

“Everything alright there, hot shot?” Nox asked cheekily, a smirk splitting his face.

 

“Yep, everything is just fine, little star,” Nyx smiled back, only realizing what he said after he’d already said it. 

 

Nox blinked at him for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before smiling. Carefully he changed the way he was holding the other’s arm so he could lean against the glaive. Nyx smiled down at the top of the smaller man’s head where it was pillowed against his shoulder. Thankfully it seemed he hadn’t managed to screw things up by giving the other a pet name. Now, the real trick was seeing if Nox would let him keep calling him that. 

 

-Later-

 

The festival was a hit. Nox really seemed to enjoy himself, despite the couple odd looks he got from some people. Nyx knew it was due to the beads in his hair rather than the fact that he was even there. No one stopped him and asked him about it though, so Nyx counted it as a win. By the time the pair made it back to Nox’s apartment it was almost one am. The white haired man made a comment about how he was glad he had a late shift that day, allowing him to sleep off the late night. 

 

“Sorry I kept you out so late,” Nyx apologize, shrugging slightly to keep his uniform coat slung over his shoulder. 

 

“It’s fine, really. I had a good time and... I’m glad I came with you,” Nox smiled while he had his hands tightly folded behind his back. 

 

Nyx just smiled and watched the other for a moment before giving himself an internal shake, “Well, with it being so late I guess I should let you head up and get some sleep. Good night Nox.”

 

“Good night, Nyx,” the other replied with a small wave and a soft smile. 

 

Nyx managed to get around the corner and out of sight before he pulled out his phone. There on the screen was an image of Nox he’d managed to sneak while the other wasn’t looking at him. It was just a profile shot, but it was one hell of a shot. Nox was looking up at some of the decorations hanging from the balconies above them, a soft smile on his face. The way the light from the lanterns around them hit the other’s face made him look almost ethereal, especially with the way Nyx had restyled his hair.   

 

Smiling at the image for a few more seconds he pulled up his messaging app and started a message to the younger man,  _ “U really should wear ur hair like this more often. It looks rlly good on u, little star.” _

 

The moment he hit send it hit him that he probably sounded like a love-struck fool. Giving himself a hard shake Nyx spared one last look at the building before heading back to his own apartment. Hopefully this wasn’t going to come back and bite him in the butt later. 

 

-With Noctis-

 

Noctis had just closed the front door of his apartment behind him when his phone buzzed loudly, startling him. Pulling the glowing device out of his pocket he was pleasantly surprised to see a message from Nyx. Opening the message he felt his heart stop for a moment. The photograph, while taken by a phone and an amateur, was nothing less than stunning. The accompanying message had him pressing a hand to his lips even as a bright flush spread across his face. 

 

Dropping the phone to his chest he smiled faintly and shook his head slowly before walking into the main room. His giddy mood was tempered by the package sitting on his coffee table. He knew it hadn’t been there when he left this morning and there were only two people who cold get in here while he was out. It was either the landlord or Ardyn. Noctis would bet money that it was Ardyn because if a package had been delivered for him the landlord would have just kept it in the office. Stepping over to the box he saw a note taped to the top. 

 

There, written in a spidery hand, were the words,  _ “Be very careful now, my boy. Keep your wits about you and trust no one you do not already know.” _

 

“Damn it, Dad. What the hell did you do now?” Noctis mumbled as he carefully set the note aside before summoning a danger to open the box. 

 

Inside were several folios with information about the Haven, something called the Diamond Weapon, and something called Project Immortalis. There were also a couple of personnel files and, strangely enough, the helmet for his armor. Setting the helmet aside he pulled out the folios and personnel files. The first file had him gritting his teeth and cursing softly. Staring up at him with probably the most serious expression he had ever seen on the man’s face was Nyx Ulric.

 

Ardyn had been paying far more attention to him than he would have really liked and this was his way of saying it. Setting Nyx’s file to the side he paused at the name on the second file; Titus Drautos. The last name was familiar somehow. Glancing at the picture didn’t clear anything up so he opened the file slowly. Reading carefully he found that Drautos was the captain of the Lucian Kingsglaive and, by extension, the King’s left hand. 

 

“So that’s who they all are talking about when they mention “the captain”. They mean their former commander,” Noctis murmured as he flipped the page slowly, leaving behind the information and coming to the pictures. 

 

The very first photo had him freezing, blue eyes wide. Drautos was standing on the edge of an open arena, clearly ready to spar with some of his glaives, with his sword in front of his face. No one probably thought much of it but the pose had the knight’s blood freezing  in his veins. He knew that pose and had seen it a thousand times. General Glauca always began his swordplay lessons like that. Both would start in that form before lunging across the field at each other, Glauca propelled by his armor and Noctis by his MagiTech legs. 

 

Setting the file down Noctis pressed a hand to his face, “Son of a bitch... I bet the King has no clue he has a traitor working as one of his military commanders... Things just got a lot harder...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!
> 
> I do have plans to try and draw the photo Nyx took of Noctis, but we'll see how it goes. I'll keep you all posted on it, OK?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, this one got stupid long... I hope you guys like it!  
> Again the change from "Noctis" to "Nox" is a POV switch, OK? No one complained about it last time so that's how I'm gonna keep doing it.

Several weeks passed in the same manner; Noctis going to work a few days a week and then either spending time in his apartment going over all of the files (he left Nyx’s file alone) or spending time with Nyx. He still had yet to meet Nyx’s friends and was fully intent to keep it that way for as long as he could. Unfortunately, you know what they say about the best laid plans. Noctis agreed to go out to dinner with Nyx one night only for the other to add that he’d invited his friends along as well. 

 

“Damn...” he mumbled scrubbing at his forehead slightly and putting his phone down on the little table in the cafe break room. 

 

“You OK, dude?” one of his co-workers asked, a faint smile on his face. 

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a bit of news I wasn’t expecting, is all,” Noctis smiled. 

 

“Alright, well break time’s over. Let’s get back to work, shall we?” the other asked as he stood from his chair. 

 

Noctis nodded and rose to his feet carefully, tucking his phone back into his pants pocket as he did. As he took a step toward the door he felt something tweak in his lower leg. Stumbling against the table he let out a low hiss. The other man turned with a raised eyebrow. Waving the other off Noctis dropped into a crouch, one hand wrapping slowly around his right ankle joint. There he could feel a small section of the MagiTek had seemingly come loose. Hissing again he carefully maneuvered the piece so that it was almost back where it was supposed to be before rising to his feet again.

 

Limping out of the break room he looked for his boss. Finding her leaning against the bakery counter he limped over slowly, careful to keep a smile on his face. When he was close enough to her he waited for his boss to finish with her customer before getting her attention. 

 

“Nox, is everything alright?” Mera asked, immediately catching on to the way Noctis was standing to keep his weight off of his right leg. 

 

“I think I’ve done something stupid to my leg. I don’t know how, considering all I did was get up from the break room table,” Noctis said as he leaned against the counter, barely concealing a flinch as his other leg gave a sharp twinge. 

 

He probably failed to hid the flinch because Mera gave him a worried look, “Are you alright? Do you need anything?”

 

“No, no, I’m alright. I just need to go home,” Noctis said shifting his weight and biting back a yelp before managing to continue. “I’m really sorry about this.” 

 

“Don’t apologize, Nox! I’ll handle your tables,” Mera quickly placed both hands on the white haired man’s shoulders. “Go home, get some rest and keep me posted, alright?” 

 

Noctis gave the woman a nod and a stiff smile before carefully limping away. Making it out of the building and back to his apartment was nothing short of a nightmare. He knew something was out of place in both legs but couldn’t afford to stop and fix them. The little tool kit he used was stashed in the seemingly infinite dimension his weapons came from. To call for it on the street like this would not have been a good idea. As far as he knew only Ardyn and King Regis also had the ability to draw from that dimension. He would no doubt give himself away the second he pulled anything from it. 

 

The first thing he did when he finally made it back into his apartment was head for the dining room table as quickly as he could manage. Sinking into the fist chair he came to Noctis let out a sigh of relief. He just stayed there for a few seconds before reaching down to about mid thigh on his right leg. There was a series of clicks before he grabbed his knee and gave a sharp twist. After a popping sound the sensation of pain in his right leg faded away. Pulling the MagiTek limb from his pants leg he set it on the counter before repeating the process with his other leg. Once bother were disconnected he relaxed in his chair. 

 

“Malla is going to kill me for this. I just know she will...” He mumbled before pulling his tool kit out. 

 

Settling in he quickly got to work on resetting the misaligned pieces. Noctis was so focused that the loud chiming of his phone actually startled him. Swearing as he dropped his tools the white haired man scrabbled for the device. Pulling it from his pocket he swore again at seeing that the message was from Nyx. He’d totally forgotten that he’d promised to meet the glaive after his shift at the cafe. Checking the time he found that there were still a few more minutes in what should have been the rest of his shift. 

 

Opening the messaging app on his phone he penned out a quick message,  _ “Sorry, Nyx. I can’t meet u and the others 4 dinner. I did something @ work that screwed up my legs. I’m apartment bound tonight srry.” _

 

Noctis felt bad for canceling but there was no way he was going anywhere even once he had his legs back in working order again. Walking home on them while they felt like they were trying to kill him was enough, thank you. He got another message from the man but ignored it in favor of running the last few checks so that he could actually put them back on in the morning. 

 

Getting them back into his room was something of a challenge without a wheelchair but he managed. As he was hobbling back into the main room there was a knock at the door. Frowning he made his way slowly to the door, carefully balancing on his hands with what was left of his legs held out in front of him. The person on the other side knocked again before Noctis made it to the door, indicating that they were more than a little impatient. 

 

“Hold your horses! I’m coming!” Noctis called out as he carefully balanced on one hand while he reached up with the other to undo the lock. “Can I help ... you...?”

 

Blinking slowly Noctis just stared up at the three people in his doorway. Nyx had his hand raised to knock again but looked down suddenly at Noctis’s question. Silver eyes went wide at the sight of the white haired man. The other two were also looking at Noctis in surprise, like they had never seen someone who’d had their legs amputated before. 

 

“What are you doing here, Nyx?” Noctis asked slowly, managing to recover from the shock of seeing the older man at his door. 

 

“I... I was... worried. You didn’t answer when I messaged you earlier,” Nyx managed to say despite the fact that he was still staring at what was left of the younger man’s legs. 

 

“Not to mention that you almost never cancel plans with this idiot,” the woman behind Nyx added slowly, as if she was afraid of getting snapped at. “He got a little wigged out when you said you had to cancel ‘cause you said you hurt yourself.”

 

“I didn’t hurt myself. Something happened to my prosthetics, that’s all. I fixed them up but didn’t feel like putting them back on right now,” Noctis shrugged before backing away from the door a bit. “Since you’re all here do you want to come in?” 

 

It took the trio a few moments before they finally took the invitation. They all filed into the small apartment and waited for Noctis to close the door before spreading out a bit. Nyx was still watching the white haired man with worried eyes as Noctis moved around the space. The younger man wasted no time in getting himself back into one of the dining room chairs before turning to the other people in his space. 

 

“Do you guys want coffee? Or tea?” he asked carefully, not really knowing how to talk to the other two people in the room. 

 

“You wouldn’t happen to have any alcohol would you?” the large man asked from where he was standing near the kitchen. 

Nox shook his head slowly at Libertus’s question before smiling, “Alcohol and prosthetic limbs don’t exactly make a good combination. I also don’t tend to have a lot of guests over so I never really saw the need to keep it around. Sorry.” 

 

“Don’t worry about it, dude. Mind if I make coffee then?” Libertus asked gesturing to the coffee pot. 

 

Nox just waved a hand in an “as you will” gesture, “Coffee is in the cabinet above the pot while mugs are in the one next to it.”

 

Libertus nodded stiffly before heading into the kitchen, dropping a hand on his best friend’s shoulder as he passed. Nyx took a deep breath before moving over to the table. Nox looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. Gesturing at the chair across from the white haired man the glaive silently asked to sit. After getting the OK to sit Nyx dropped slowly into the chair. For The next few minutes the only sound to be heard was Libertus moving around in the kitchen. Crowe had followed the stocky glaive and was leaning against the counter beside him. Finally Nyx sighed softly. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he said looking down at the floor between his feet. 

 

Nox blinked for a second before tilting his head to the side and asking, “For what?” 

 

“For barging in like this. I know I should have tried to message you again rather than freaking out, but I got really worried. I...” Nyx trailed off, fingers tightening into fists.    


 

“I did get your message and was actually going for my phone when you knocked on the door,” Nox said slowly carefully reaching across the table to pick up said device. “While this was more than a little unexpected it is nice to see you and to meet your friends. I’m just afraid that I’m not really going to be a lot of fun tonight nor am I going to be doing much of anything. It was why I picked the hotel I was supposed to be staying at in the first place.” 

 

“You were supposed to to be staying at a hotel? How did you end up from a hotel to an apartment? That seems like a bit of a stretch,” Crowe said as she stepped into the dining room holding two mugs of coffee. 

 

“Well, I’m actually here on vacation,” Nox sighed before launching into the story of just how he ended up with the apartment and why he needed a job. 

 

By the time he had finished both glaives were just staring at him, wide eyed. Nox just shrugged and sipped his coffee. They looked over at Nyx and the man just nodded. He’d already heard the whole story once before. Libertus shook his head slowly before sighing into his coffee. Crowe looked like she wanted to get up and hug the white haired man, but thankfully refrained. They all sat there for a few minutes before Nyx suddenly sat up a little straighter. 

 

“I know you basically said that you didn’t want to go out tonight but  will you at least let us treat you to dinner or something?” Nyx asked carefully. 

 

Nox hesitated for a few moments before sighing, “ I never said I didn’t want to go out. I just said that I can’t do much. You see I didn’t bring a wheelchair. If we did go out one of you would have to carry me everywhere. The hotel I was supposed to be staying at would have been able to provide one if I needed it.” 

 

“If that’s it I don’t mind carrying you,” Nyx offered but before he could say anything else Crowe chimed in. 

 

“Or we could go get something and bring it back here if you’re worried about what people might say,” she smiled trying her hardest to help her best friend not sound totally creepy.

 

“I don’t mind people talking, but I’m not exactly light and where my prosthetics start it makes carrying me  a little difficult,” Nox sighed. “I don’t want to put one of you out because you’re trying to make me feel better about not having legs.”

 

The three shared a look before Libertus spoke, “You aren’t putting us out any. That I can promise you. Besides we’re all stronger than we look if that’s what you’re worried about.”

 

“Yeah, let us treat you to something. Please?” Nyx asked giving the younger man a soft smile. 

 

Nox just looked at them before sighing, “Fine, fine. I’ll come out with you. I just need a few minute to change and fix my hair. OK?”

 

That earned several happy cheers from the glaives as Nox dropped off the chair and hobbled into his bedroom. When he came back a few  minutes later the three were talking quickly in Galahdian, trying to decide where they were going to take the white haired man. Nox interrupted them by pulling himself back into his chair. He had a small bag around his neck that Nyx knew contained the multitude of beads the other wore. When he poured them onto the table Libertus have a low whistle. 

 

“That's a lot of beads,” he said slowly immediately noting, like Nyx did, the multitude of family colors. 

 

“Lots of owed favors and such,” Nox replied before he started working them into his hair. 

 

Nyx saw what he was going for and shook his head slowly, “Want me to do that for you? You look like you’re struggling a little.” 

 

“IT is a little harder to do by myself, that’s why I usually go for the simple stuff,” Nox huffed as he dropped his hands. “But simple isn’t going to keep this mass out of my way and off the floor like I need it to be.” 

 

“Then let me fix it for you,” Nyx said rising from his chair. 

 

“Oh! I want to put it the rest of the way up after Nyx finishes braiding it! Can I?” Crowe asked, eyes sparkling a bit. 

 

“Knock yourselves out guys. Just don’t go overboard with it, OK?” Nox murmured with a faint smile, handing over the remainder of the beads to Nyx.

 

Nox was startling patient as the pair worked on his head. Once Nyx had finished with the familiar braids Crowe quickly took over. She carefully weaved them in with each other and with the rest of his hair. Once she was done with that she took the whole thing and pulled it into an elegant knot on the back of his head. Sharing a look the pair grinned at each other before Nyx took a picture and held his phone out for the white haired man to inspect.

 

“Wow... I have no idea what I was expecting but it was not this... Wow...” Now murmured carefully reaching one hand up to touch the knot of the back of his head.

 

“Just be careful when you touch it. I had to make due with the hairbands you have. Personally I would have preferred bobby pins and the hair band, but this works for right now,” Crowe smiled, propping one hand on her hip as she did. 

 

“This is really cool. Now you both have to show me how you did it so I can do it for myself if you're not around,” Nox smiled before looking between the three of them. “Now the question is which one of you wants to haul my broken ass around first?” 

 

That earned a laugh from the glaives before Libertus spoke up, “I'll start with you. This whole thing was Nyx's idea so it's fitting that he leads us around for a bit.” 

 

Nyx let out a mock cry of outrage even as Libertus crouched in front of Nox's chair. It took a little bit of finagling  to deal with Nox's legs being only about half of his thigh but finally the larger man had it figures out. Once the white haired man was settled the group trundled out of his apartment. Nox seemed content to listen as they chattered for the entirety of the walk. When they arrived at the restaurant they did get some odd looks but they took everything in stride as Libertus got Nox settled into a chair. 

 

“So, how are we gonna handle this? Are you guys just gonna order since you've all been here and know what's good?” Nox asked, one hand resting lightly on the menu.

 

“That was kinda the idea, yeah. You alright with that?” Crowe asked as she scratched at the side of her head a bit. 

 

Nox just smiled and shook his head. The other three just smiled at him, not even bothering to look at their own menus when the server came back for their order. The whole night ended up being spoken in Galahdian and it actually almost felt like being back on the islands. The only thing that was really missing was the rest of their families. When Crowe accidentally brought up the subject of family Nox got really quiet. 

 

“Not a good subject?” the woman asked slowly as she fingered her second beer of the night. 

 

“Not really, no...” Nox murmured slowly, rubbing at one arm as he did. 

 

“You don’t have to tell us. You do know that right?” Nyx said carefully reaching over and placing am arm on the white haired man’s shoulder. 

 

Nox just nodded slowly, looking down at the table. Several moment passed in silence before the other spoke again. Apparently Nox had no memories past the age of eight. The first  thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital feeling like he’d just been hit by a truck. That turned out to be a rather apt description. He’d been in a bad accident where he had been tossed from a car before another car came tumbling down onto his lower legs. The damage had been too extensive to repair so the doctors opted to amputate. Since his family had been killed in the crash there was no one to viy for an alternative treatment. It was his adoptive father who paid for his prosthetics. 

 

“Shit, Nox... that’s horrible...” Crowe gasped looking like she wanted nothing more than to sweep the smaller into a big hug. 

 

Noctis just shrugged with a dispassionate smile on his face, “It was, but there is nothing to be done about it now. All I can really do about it is get over it and move on.”

 

“Still, you shouldn’t have had to go through that at all...” Libertus murmured before downing the rest of his drink and quickly ordering another. 

 

Turning to Nyx Noctis saw an expression of worry and sadness. Clearly the other man was worried that by bringing it up Noctis was going to freak out over it later. Reaching out a hand he gave the older man a pat on the shoulder and a smile. 

 

“Don’t worry about my, Nyx. I’m fine. I’ve more or less come to terms with things anyway. Talking about it won’t hurt me too much. I promise,” Noctis assured even as he squeezed the man’s shoulder.

 

Still, I feel kinda bad about us even ending up on the subject,” Nyx murmured, looking down at the table and clenching his hands into tight fists. 

 

Noctis just gave a sad smile before sitting back in his chair. Though he was still dreading the day that they found out who he really was he was glad that he got to actually get to know them all a bit before things potentially went to hell. Getting to sit down and talk like this was doing good things for his need to spend time with other warriors. While it was true he was in Insomnia to get a break from  _ his _ warriors it was still nice to spend time with someone who knew how he felt. Noctis just hoped that this calm would last for a while longer before shit hit the proverbial fan. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!
> 
> Next time we're gonna get a big time skip cuse this sucker is getting long. Don't get me wrong I long long pieces, but I really want to get to the good stuff!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised a time skip to get to the good stuff and here it is. Just so you know this chapter gets really ugly in the end. This is all the warning you're gonna get so... You've been warned!

As the end of the year drew closer Noctis found himself settling into an easy friendship with Libertus and Crowe. The pair were an absolute riot and reminded the white haired man of Selena and Marcel. That just made them really easy to talk to. Nyx, on the other hand, was a whole other story. 

 

The man was, despite Noctis best efforts, was slowly worming his way into the younger’s heart. Noctis had actually confided in Crowe that he was on the verge of making a total fool of himself because he had a hard time looking away from the older man. Crowe had just laughed at him for a few moments before realizing that the man was serious. She then stared at him for a minute before letting out the highest pitched squeal Noctis had ever heard a human being make. After he had extracted a promise that  Crowe wouldn’t tell Nyx about the younger man’s crush he then had asked her to help him figure out how not to make a fool of himself while trying to get the other’s attention. 

 

So far things seemed to be going rather well? Noctis wasn’t really sure. Nyx still acted the way he always had around the white haired man so it was infuriatingly hard to tell. Maybe he’d been way to subtle and Nyx just hadn’t figured it out? The knight didn’t want to consider the alternative that Nyx was just humoring him but only saw him as a friend. Unfortunately, before Noctis could find out either way, the thing he most feared happened. 

 

It was during the king’s annual speech to ring in the New Year when a dark winged figure landed on the stage. Noctis felt his heart stop as the figure rose, face magnified on the large screens around the plaza and across the city. His own face, twisted in a vicious grin, stared down at him as the recognizably armored figure lunged at the king. Swearing colorfully Noctis took off through the crowd.

 

He could see the glaives moving in from the outer edges of the plaza and swore again. In a burst of blue sparks he had his helmet in his hands. Staring down at the dragon shaped face plate he took a deep breath before pulling it out, making sure to bundle all of his hair under it. Turning back to the stage he lunged forward. Between one step and the next his feet had shifted into large clawed paws. Crouching low he pushed into the air, hard. 

 

Up on the stage the doppelganger was trying to get at the king but had been stopped by his Shield. Clarus had just forced the armored man back when Noctis hit him. The pair tumbled to the side in a flurry of metal. Kicking the other hard in the stomach Noctis disengaged from the other and sent him skidding across the stage. When they both came to a stop the just looked at each other for a moment before Noctis allowed his own wings to rip through his shirt even as the MagiTek in his back shifted to accommodate it. 

 

Giving himself a shake he turned back to his doppelganger, “Let’s see which is better, shall we?” 

 

The other just grinned at him before lunging. They slammed into each other in the middle of the stage, tearing into the podium that Regis had just been standing behind. Noctis had no time to look for the king as he dodged a wild swing from the other man. Letting out a low snarl Noctis ducked low and pushed forward to drive his shoulder into the other’s stomach. It hurt like hell because of the armor the other was wearing, but Noctis knew that the stomach had a few weak points in it just by being where it was. 

 

True to his thoughts the other staggered back with an ugly cough. Pressing his advantage Noctis struck out with one large wing. The appendage caught the other in the chest and staggered him again. Leaping forward Noctis pinned the other man to the ground, all but slamming his head into the stage. 

 

“Why are you here?” he demanded as he tried to keep the other from struggling away from him. 

 

“To save myself!” the other shouted before managing to bring one leg up and kicking Noctis in the stomach. 

 

The claws on the static MagiTek limbs ripped through the knight’s shirt and skin like they were paper. Tumbling backwards Noctis wrapped a hand around his bleeding abdomen and swore. He’d thought those claws were for show and not function. Apparently they could make the molded pieces in the same shape, they just couldn’t get them to transform like he could. Wonderful... Looking back up at the doppelganger he grit his teeth as he realized that the other was looking for King Regis. Swearing again he called out to the other. 

 

Foolishly the other turned only to receive claws to his face. Noctis had twisted into a high backwards kick that had the claws of his right foot raked across the other’s face. It should have been a superficial hit but the white haired man screamed bloody murder. When the knight came up he saw why; the other man’s face was splitting and falling apart along the claw marks. Swearing again Noctis lunged forward to catch hold of the other man and vaulted of the stage. 

 

People screamed as he sailed over them, looking like he was going to crash right into them, before his wings snapped out fully. After a few hard flaps the pair were airborne and headed straight for Noctis’s apartment. He dropped back into the city a good three blocks from his apartment. Getting the heavily wounded doppelganger back to his apartment unnoticed was a nightmare, but somehow he managed. 

 

Setting the other on his couch he just looked at him for a moment before sighing and taking off his helmet, “You knew how this was going to end... Why did you continue the fight?” 

 

“I would *wheeze* rather *choke*  _ die  _ *wheeze* by your hand... than return *choke* a failure...” the man gasped out only for more of his face to fall into the long, obviously painted, fall of his hair. 

 

Noctis just looked at the other before shaking his head slowly and heading for his dining table. He knew the glaive would be coming for them both, there was no point in running. Sitting at the table he placed the helmet in front of him before carefully pulling his hair back into several intricate braids he used when he needed the helmet. The doppelganger continued to wheeze and choke on his couch, letting the knight know he wasn’t too much longer for this world. Sighing again he quietly resolved to make the other as comfortable as he dared until he finally passed. 

 

-With the glaive-

 

Nyx knew he was fidgeting with his kukris too much for the other’s liking, but he didn’t care. He had been waiting for his shift to end at the plaza so he could spend the rest of the day with Nox. the man wasn’t a fool, he’d known what Nox was doing with his subtle gestures and little gifts. Today he had planned on officially asking the other out on a proper date, but then things went all to hell. 

 

When the armored figure stood and it was Nox practically sneering down on them Nyx felt like something had just ripped out his soul. To think that the young man he had slowly been falling for was actually working for the Empire... Nyx wanted nothing more than to tear into the white haired little snake. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you looked at it, someone from the crowd attacked the man. He was wearing a helmet that looked like it should have gone with the armor Nox was wearing. Maybe it did because of what the newcomer said before they attacked each other. 

 

The fight ended when the helmeted man racked massive claws across the other's face. The glaives could all tell that the wound should have been superficial, but when Nox's face started falling apart they realized something was wrong. When the helmeted man scooped the wounded knight into his arms and took off Nyx had an idea of where they were going. Why the mystery man would head for Nox's apartment was a total mystery. Nyx had every intention of finding out though. After informing the captain of his theory and asking to take only Crowe and Libertus with him he just waited for the other man's approval. 

 

“Are you sure you want to go after this man alone?” Drautos asked, knowing full well who it was that attacked the king. 

 

“I am sir. We know this man and might be able to get him here without a fight. Please allow us to bring him in alone,” Nyx asked, forcing his voice to stay even. 

 

Drautos looked at him for a moment before nodding slowly, “Fine. Take Altius and Ostium and find these men. I want them brought to the Citadel for questioning.” 

 

With a shake salute Nyx took off to find his friends. The other two were just as upset about Nox’s deception as he was so they were easy to convince. Before anyone could stop them they were taking off across the city. Thanks to the urgency of their mission there would be no complaints if they warped to their destination. Hitting the ground in front of Nox’s apartment building Nyx slowly drew one of his kukris before heading for the stairs. Thankfully there was no one in the lobby to see the glaives march in with weapons drawn.

 

They made their way up the stairs to Nox’s apartment in silence. Libertus stayed on one side of the door while Nyx reached for the handle. He was expecting the door to be locked but was surprised when the knob turned at his touch. Glancing at the other two and getting a slow nod from both he opened the door. 

 

The first thing that hit them was the sheer amount of blood on the entryway. Libertus looked like he was going to throw up and Crowe had to cover her mouth to keep from shouting. Nyx closed his eyes and shook his head before venturing a little farther into the apartment, kukri still drawn. The blood trail just got worse as they moved into the main room. A faint scraping sound drew their attention to the dining room table. Nox sat there, just looking at the helmet in front of him, his massive wings splayed out on the floor on either side of him. 

 

“I knew you would be here sooner or later,” he murmured not looking at them. 

 

“Stand up slowly and put your hands behind your head,” Nyx ordered only to be cut off by a choking sound. 

 

Nox stood slowly, wings pulling in close as he moved around the table. Putting a finger to his lips he headed for the couch. Biting his tongue against another order the ashen haired man followed. He wished he hadn’t when he came around the piece of furniture. There, blood oozing through thick armor, was the man that attacked the king. A good two thirds of his face was missing and his eyes were just bloody holes in his head. 

 

Nox crouched slowly next to the man’s head and carefully stroked his hand through the ashy hair, “Easy, easy...” 

 

Nyx just stared for a minute, utterly horrified, before finding his voice, “What the hell is going on?” 

 

“He’s dying, falling apart from the inside,” Nox said softly even as he rose to grab one of the cloths on the coffee table.

 

“Falling apart? How is that possible?” Nyx asked, barely managing to keep his voice low as Nox cleaned blood from the other’s lips. 

 

“He’s not like you and I. He is an artificially created human being, a clone. One whose body wasn't designed to last very long,” the white haired man murmured before a choking sound drew his attention back to the man on the couch. 

 

Carefully Nox pried the man’s jaw open and reached into the clone’s mouth, murmuring softly the whole time. The man whimpered and twitched but made no move to stop the other. When Nox withdrew his hand he was holding a bloody lump that he set in a bowl on the coffee table. Shaking his head slowly the man cleaned the blood from the other’s face before standing. 

 

“What... was that?” Crowe asked, not really wanting to know but unable to stop herself from asking. 

 

“His tongue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people! Holy Cheese! I love all of you right now! And because I say that I must also apologize for this chapter. This one is ugly and brutal and I really need to warn you all about it. This is graphic and gross and very bloody. There is no good place to put a marker for it because it's the whole chapter really... For that I'm sorry but this needed to happen. I hope you all stick with me after this.

There was silence for a few seconds before Crowe whisper shouted, “What The hell do you mean ‘his tongue’?!”

 

“Exactly what I said,” Nox said before motioning for them to follow him. “We should move this elsewhere. I’d rather not upset him again.” 

 

The glaives followed him in silence, not really knowing what else to do. After following the white haired man into his bedroom the glaives just watched as he sat heavily on the bed. It was right then and there that they realized that, along with the MagiTek wings, Nox had a long MagiTek tail trailing behind him. It had been hidden by the wings. Now that he was seated with the wings splayed out on the bed the tail was draped over the edge beside him. 

 

“Now, I know you all have questions for me, so why don’t we get started,” Nox said looking up at them with a tired smile. 

 

Libertus was the first to find his voice, “How about who you really are, huh?” 

 

“You might have figured it out, but I happen to be the Dragon Knight of Niflheim. That being said, my name isn’t Nox Vaullerey,” Nox said slowly lacing his fingers together slowly. 

 

“Then what is your name, exactly? And how the hell did you get fully legal paperwork for Nox Vaullerey?” Nyx asked, suddenly remembering that there had been no issues whatsoever with the man’s entry paperwork. 

 

“That paperwork was fully legal. In the empire it’s common for high ranking military and government personnel to have a secondary identity that allows them to move about the Empire freely,” Nox said slowly before sighing. “As for my real name, its Noctis Izunia. Chancellor Ardyn Izunia is my adoptive father. He’s also fully aware of the fact that I am in Insomnia, it was his idea actually.” 

 

That information had all three of them reeling backwards in shock. Ardyn Izunia was his father?! Things had gone from just apprehending someone for attacking the king, though now it seemed that Nox (or Noctis or whatever his real name was) was actually the one who  _ saved  _ the king,  to dealing with a potential diplomatic nightmare. Nyx scrubbed his free hand across his face before looking at his friends. They both looked like they would rather be anywhere but here right now, a sentiment he found himself echoing. Letting out a sigh he turned back to the white haired man only for something to catch his eye. 

 

“What the hell is that?” he asked sharply pointing to something that was wrapped around the other’s tail.

 

Noctis blinked before looking at what the glaive was pointing at, blue eyes wide, “Ah... That would be part of his scalp... His hair tangled around my tail and I didn’t realize...” 

 

Carefully reaching down to untangle the ashen strands from the metal joints the others were stunned to watch as the white color came off in his bloody fingers. By the time he was  finished Noctis was holding a chunk of bloody black hair attached to a rather large patch of torn skin. With a soft sigh he tossed the thing across the room to land with a wet sound in the corner. 

 

Something suddenly occurred to Crowe as she looked at the hair, “Wait, I thought you said he was a clone of you? Shouldn’t he have white hair, not black?” 

 

“Genetically speaking my hair isn’t white. I have what’s called Marie Antoinette Syndrome. It’s where, when someone experiences extreme stress or trauma, the hair suddenly bleaches itself. Genetically speaking my hair is black, but after my accident it started growing in white instead of black and the rest of it faded over time,” Noctis said with a shrug, not even realizing what was going through the glaives heads. 

 

Sharing a look the three just watched Noctis rubbed at his temples, leaving bloody smears behind. Libertus was the one who stepped forward to catch the other’s attention. Noctis looked up slowly, blue eyes tired. 

 

“You do know we have to take you to the Citadel right? The both of you,” he said slowly, not totally sure how the knight was going to react. 

 

“I know, but I’m not leaving yet,” Noctis said with a shake of his head. 

 

“And why would that be?” Crowe asked sharply. 

 

“Because he can’t be moved and I’m not going to leave him to die alone here.” the white haired man replied just as sharply. 

 

“You don’t really have a choice. We need to take the both of you in for questioning,” Libertus said, trying to keep the mage from jumping the knight. 

 

Noctis stood slowly, wings fanning out behind him a bit, “I know that, but there is no way that he can be moved right now! The only thing holding him together is my armor!”

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?” Crowe all but shouted, pushing against her almost brother.

 

“It means what you think it means! That armor is the only thing keeping him from being a bloody stain on the couch! Not to mention the fact that I can’t risk giving him anything for the  pain I know he’s in right now!” Noctis hissed back, wings flaring sharply. “He’s not going to be with us much longs but that doesn’t mean that I want him to be in pain, but I can’t risk giving him anything!”

 

“Why not?” Nyx asked, speaking for the first time since  everyone started almost shouting. 

 

Noctis turned to him, about to answer, when a choked cry had everyone freezing. Swearing colorfully Noctis pushed past the glaives. Nyx followed, stepping into the hall just in time to see Noctis vault over the couch with his wings out as far as he could get them in the small space. When Nyx came around the couch he saw that the clone was trying to move but only seemed to be hurting himself in the process. Noctis was crouched at his head, murmuring softly and carefully stroking over what little hair he had left. After calming the dying clone he looked back at Nyx. 

 

“I would give him something, but I have no idea of how the medecine would react to the chemicals in what’s left of his body,” Noctis murmured. “When I said he was falling apart, I meant it quite literally. His whole body is slowly decomposing around him and now that his mind had been reduced back to his true age things are so much worse for him.”

 

“What do you mean true age?” Nyx asked waving both Crowe and Libertus back when he heard them stepping into the room. 

 

“He’s only six months old. The Empire forced his physical and mental development into a hyper accelerated state. Unfortunately, now that he has reached the end of his expected life span, his mind has regressed. He has no clue what’s wrong with him and why. He just knows everything hurts and that the pain is not going away,” Noctis said looking back at the clone. 

 

Behind him Nyx could hear Crowe choking and Libertus swearing. Nyx almost felt like he was going to be sick over that information. The Empire was cloning people only to have them die after six months? That was cruel and inhuman. How Noctis himself could even stand for such a thing he had no idea. Just as he was about to say something he heard his communicator beep. 

 

Shooting a look at the white haired man Nyx mumbled, “I need to report in...” 

 

“Fine. Just do it in my bedroom. I don’t want to upset him farther, not when he won’t last the hour,” Noctis said waving a bloody hand back in the direction of his room. 

 

Quickly ushering his friends back into the room Nyx gave his communicator a tap, “Sir?” 

 

“Ulric, what the hell is taking so long?” Drautos said sharply, clearly more than a little annoyed that they hadn’t called in sooner. 

 

“Sir, we found both men at the apartment of Nox Vaullerey. The man in the armor happens to be a clone of Vaullerey... who happens to really be the adopted son of Chancellor Izunia, Noctis Izunia. He also happens to be the Dragon Knight of Niflheim, sir,” Nyx said, more than a little aware of the way his superior was bound to explode over the news. 

 

Sure enough, no sooner had the last world left Nyx’s lips Drautos was cursing up a storm, “This goes beyond an attack by a foreign body and Lucian soil! This goes in to a diplomatic incident!” 

 

“Sir! The thing is, Noctis was the one in the helmet and civies! He was the one  _ defending _ his Majesty!” Nyx whisper shouted, really not wanting to have said man coming after him. ‘

 

Drautos stopped for a moment before growling, “What the hell are you talking about? Also why the hell are you whispering?” 

 

Nyx hesitated for a moment before letting out a breath, “Perhaps I should show you, sir. Will you let me video call you on my phone? This is something you need to see rather than me just  telling you.”

 

“Fine make the call. This had better be good, Ulric,” the older man hissed clearly not happy. 

 

“It is, sir. I promise,” Nyx murmured as he pulled out his phone and opened the video calling function.

 

As they waited for the call to connect Crowe asked, “are you sure this is a good idea?”

 

“Honestly?” Nyx asked back only to have both of them nodding at him. “I have no fucking clue... We are about to find out, though.” 

 

Once the connection was made Nyx stepped back out into the main room, asking his commander to keep quiet until he talked to Noctis. Drautos begrudgingly agreed, staying silent as the glaive moved slowly back to where the knight crouched next to the couch. Noctis looked up at his and gave him a raised eyebrow. 

 

“I thought you had to make a report,” he said softly.   

 

“I am doing that right now... It’s just... this isn’t something that’s easy to describe... I have my captain on a video call right now,” Nyx said slowly aware that this could do more harm than good. 

 

“You want to show him just what’s going on here, don’t you?” Noctis asked before Nyx could even figure out who to phrase it without seeming insensitive. 

 

“Pretty much, yeah...” Nyx mumbled, not looking at the white haired man or the clone. 

 

Noctis just watched him for a moment before sighing, “Fine. But if either of you upset him...”

 

“I get it, I get it. We won’t upset him,” Nyx said quickly, hoping that the captain would abide by that even as he pulled his phone forward.

 

After flipping the camera the sharp intake of breath from the small device confirmed that Drautos was seeing the pair. Noctis was still crouched at the dying man’s side while the cloe was breathing heavily and wetly through his mouth. He mad a sudden sound and Noctis carefully reached for his jaw. There was a sad, pained look on the man’s face as he reached behind himself, looking for something but unwilling to look away from the clone. 

 

“What do you need?” Nyx found himself asking, voice shaky. 

 

“I need a towel and the bowl,” Noctis murmured before directing his next words at the clone. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to stay like this for much longer. I promise.”

 

Nyx kept his phone pointed at the pair even as he grabbed the cleanest looking towel and the bowl. Handing them slowly to Noctis he watched, horrified as the knight shifted his hand to grip the clone’s jaw. There was a disturbing, wet tearing sound accompanied by something breaking as the other man pulled softly on the clone’s jaw. Pained whimpers left the armored figure as Noctis pulled his jaw from his head. 

 

With shaking hands the knight deposited the jaw in the bowl, that Nyx realized with a disturbing lurch in his stomach was full of chunky liquid, even as his other hand pressed the towel to the new wounds. The glaive knew his hand was shaking but he couldn’t do anything to stop it as the blood soaked quickly through the once white towel. Noctis stayed where he was, mouth set in a grim, seemingly unmoved by the blood oozing over his hand. 

 

Silence reigned for a few moments before a brittle cracking sound hit the air. Silver eyes went wide as the clone’s head started to tilt backwards, farther than it was supposed to go. Noctis let out a soft sound and removed the towel. No sooner had he done that there was the wet tearing sound again. Nyx stumbled back, horrified, as the clone’s head rolled back off his shoulders and to the floor. There was a disturbing crunching sound as it connected to the floor before a faint bubbling gurgle could be heard. 

 

Before Nyx even realized what was happening Noctis was pulling the phone from his hand and pushing him quickly toward the bathroom. The glaive all but tripped over his own feet as he stumbled toward the door. He turned briefly to look back at the other end of the couch and wished he hadn’t. The clone’s head had hit the ground with enough force to split it wide open. The gurgling sound was apparently a disturbing mix of blood, brain fluid and grey matter leaking through the cracks.  

 

Needless to say the man didn’t make it to the bathroom before getting violently sick. Crowe and Libertus were at his side in seconds. Libertus looked like he wanted to throw up as well, but somehow managed to hold it back. Crowe, on the other hand, had one hand pressed against her mouth and tears streaming down her face. Noctis just watched them for a moment before turning to the phone in his hand. Drautos was looking rather green and the knight carefully flipped the camera back around.

 

“Captain Drautos, I presume?” Noctis asked softly, despite knowing full well just who he was talking to. 

 

“Y-yes... I am... Were you really the one who defended his Majesty?” Drautos asked, faltering only for a moment at the white haired man’s blood smeared face. 

 

“I was, yes,” Noctis replied with a nod. “I am more than willing to come to the Citadel and answer your questions.” 

 

“How do we know that you won’t try to attack the king once you’re here?” the man asked, eyes narrowing. 

 

“If I had wanted to attack the king I would have done it and been gone by now. I have been here for about a year now. So if I had wanted to hurt his Majesty, which I don’t by the way, I would have done it and been gone long before now,” Noctis said barely managing to keep his voice even. 

 

“Ulric, Altius and Ostium...” Drautos began only to be cut off by the younger man. 

 

“Only found out who I was today with everyone else. They had no prior knowledge of who I was and were I came from. If you hold any of this against them,  _ Captain _ ...” Noctis began watching how Drautos’s eyes widened when he emphasized the other’s title. 

 

“If they had no prior knowledge than there is nothing to hold against them,” the man said slowly realizing that the other knew just who he was. “You are still going to be brought before the king and questioned. As for the clone...” 

 

Noctis shook his head slowly, “At this point his body is more liquid than it is solid. My armor sealed around him when one of his ribs broke and punctured the skin. That was shortly after we made it back here and he’s been collapsing since then. Someone will have to come here and collect what’s left of him, carefully.”

 

“And the release on the armor?” Drautos asked already pulling a team together to collect the...body. 

 

“I recommend that you put all of it in a tub before I give those codes. As I said, he’s more liquid than solid right now. Even his bones are dissolving,” Noctis said with a shake of his head. 

 

Drautos nodded and gave orders to his team before hanging up the call. Noctis clicked the phone screen off and sat back on his haunches a bit, just waiting for Nyx and the other others. By the time the trio stepped back into the main room Noctis had cleaned the remains of the clone’s head off the floor, carefully putting it into a large bowl before attaching the helmet to the rest of the armor. Standing and pulling his wings and tail all the way in he held out both arms to the glaives. 

 

“What are you doing?” Crowe asked, eyes red and watery. 

 

“You came here to arrest me, right? Go ahead,” Noctis said giving his arms a slight shake. 

 

They just looked at him for a moment before Libertus grumbled, “If neither of you two are going to do it then I will.”

 

“Libs, wait,” Nyx tried, looking very grey, even as the large man pulled out the cuffs Drautos had given them when they headed after Noctis. 

 

“Don’t, Nyx. People know who I am and I’m sure that you guys didn’t bring a vehicle here. It will be better if I’m seen in cuffs until in a vehicle. Perhaps even beyond that,” Noctis murmured, eye dark even as he let Libertus snap the cuffs into place. “Besides, I had a feeling this was how I would end up going to Citadel for the first time anyway.”      

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go guys! The moment we've all been waiting for! Enjoy!

When they finally made it to the Citadel Drautos was waiting for them at the base of the steps. A vehicle had been waiting for them at the edge of the immigrant district, just like Noctis suspected. The knight had stepped willingly into and out of the vehicle. His lack of resistance surprised the other glaives who were waiting for them, but no one commented. Drautos took one look at Nyx and gave the man a raised eyebrow. The glaives just shook his head, still looking a little grey, and tightened his grip on Noctis's elbow. 

 

“Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Noctis Izunia. I never would have guessed that the Dragon Knight, one of the Empire's most powerful commanders, would drop everything to save the king of an enemy nation,” Drautos said when they joined him. 

 

“Things change, Captain,” Noctis murmured as the glaives started escorting him up the stairs before stopping suddenly. “Oh, I almost forgot. There should be a box of files in my room somewhere that you would find... Interesting. I would have your people collect them when they collect what's left of the clone.” 

 

“I'll take that under advisement,” Drautos growled, eyes narrowed. “Get him to the Throne Room. His Majesty has been informed of who he is and wants to speak with him before we question him.”

 

“Sir,” Nyx saluted before tugging the young man up the steps. 

 

Noctis went easily, once more surprising the glaives. They had all been expecting the knight to fight them and try to escape. According to the report Nyx gave, however, the man did no such thing. It didn't really make any sense. Even when they got him all the way to the throne room the man made no indication of attempting to escape. He just looked at his feet as they placed him on the dais before the throne. 

 

“So, you are the one who defended me?” King Regis’s accented voice filled the room easily. 

 

“I am, Your Majesty,” Noctis replied, still looking down. 

 

The king just looked at the white haired man standing before him for a moment before speaking, “You stepped in despite knowing that I am the ruler of your enemy nation? I am afraid I do not understand why you would do such a thing.” 

 

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Noctis asked even though he knew that he was probably breaking some kind of rule or code for asking. 

 

“That is why you are here,” Regis said, shifting in the throne a bit while giving the other a raised eyebrow. 

 

“I cam to Insomnia to take a break from the Empire and their machinations. A vacation, if you will, from the High Command and my own people. In the almost year that I have been within this city I have had almost no contact with anyone within the Empire. My people as a whole I don’t see as part of the Empire and so they don’t count in that. Until a few hours ago I had no idea that the Empire was planning something like this,” Noctis said with a faint shrug. “Had my father known he would have tried to stop it. Though, I’m starting to get the feeling that things are not quite going the way that they should be.”

 

“You keep regular contact with your father?” the Shield asked sharply. 

 

“Clarus, calm,” Regis admonished before looking back at the white haired man. 

 

“I talk to him periodically. He’s more the ‘pop in without warning and leave cryptic notes’ type,” Noctis laughed, still looking down. “That being said I haven't heard anything from him in the last month and a half. He usually likes to make contact about once a month, unless something has happened.” 

 

There was silence for a few moments before Clarus spoke again, “You claim to have no knowledge of this attack but you had a helmet in your possession here in Insomnia that matched the armor of your... doppelganger. How do you explain that?” 

 

“A month after I arrived in the city a package was placed in my apartment. My father had fathered several files and the helmet within. It should have been with the rest of my armor under a biometric lock in a vault in my apartment back in Gralea. I’m just now making the connection to receiving it a month into my stay here to someone actually managing to break the lock and remove my armor. As for the doppelganger he was a clone, born about six months ago, with the sole purpose of simply injuring you, Your Majesty,” Noctis said, finally looking up at the king. 

 

As Noctis’s blue eyes made contact with Regis’s green the king froze. The pair just looked at each other for a few moments before the younger man tilted his head, confusion evident on his face. Regis rose slowly to his feet at the movement, Clarus stepping immediately to his friend’s side. Everyone else watched the pair in silence, waiting. 

 

“Th-that’s odd... I... I feel like... like I know you...” Noctis said softly, the sound carrying in the surprisingly quiet room. 

 

“My... little dark star...” 

 

Those three words in another language from the king’s mouth had the knight’s head jerking back like he’d been shot. Blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he stumbled back a step. As he did his foot partially shifted into a claw but hit the ground mid shift. The lack of proper surface area had the young man’s leg giving out from under him. Before anyone could grab him he tumbled down the steps. In the silence of the room the sound of his head hitting the steps was impossibly loud. So was the sound his head made when it hit the floor at the base of the steps. 

 

No one moved for a good ten seconds before Regis started to descend from the throne as quickly as he could. Clarus was at his side in an instant, helping his friend and king down the steps. By the time they made it down Nyx was crouched at the white haired man’s head. Carefully the glaive checked the man’s neck to see if anything was broken. Once he ascertained that nothing was broken he carefully rolled the man onto his back. 

 

Blood was leaking from a rather nasty cut on his forehead and another one in his hair. Needless to say the man was out cold. The tumble had knocked some of his hair loose from the decidedly special braid, the white strands hanging around his face. Looking up at the king the glaive waited to see what his boss was going to say. 

 

Regis’s jaw worked for a moment before he finally spoke, “Get someone up here from the infirmary. Quickly!” 

 

As soon as the first words had left the king’s mouth Nyx was already contacting the infirmary. Everyone else just watched as the doors flew open to admit a doctor and several nurses. They quickly lifted the white haired man off the floor and on to a stretcher before carting him off. Everyone watched them go for a few moments before Regis turned to Nyx. “Sir Ulric, stay with him,” he ordered softly, knowing he sounded more like he was begging rather than ordering. 

 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Nyx saluted quickly, hesitating for only a moment before adding. “I'm sure he will be fine sir.” 

 

“I know...” Regis murmured as the glaive bolted for the door. 

 

Clarus just looked at his best friend for a moment before speaking, “Reggie... What was that?” 

 

“That was what Auela called Noctis once we decided on his name... And what I called him after she passed,” the king replied softly, leaning into his friend's shoulder. “I never thought... How could I not have seen it?” 

 

“Seen what?” the taller man asked, brows knitting together. 

 

“That young man... He is my son, thought lost twelve years ago,” Regis said, turning tired green eyes on his oldest friend. 

 

“How can you be sure? Are you sure you aren't just seeing what you want to see?” Clarus asked despite the bit of hope that Noctis was indeed alive. 

 

Regis shook his head slowly, “It isn't about what he looks like of his name. It is the way he reacted when I spoke. He looked like he had been shot. No one reacts like that to just hearing what should be a meaningless phrase to them. It means something to him, whether he knows it or not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!
> 
> I totally had to look up a picture of the throne room because I couldn't remember how many steps there were. Let me tell you, it was way more than I thought there were...


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people! Here we have the next installment of "Where's your head?" Sorry its been a while. I'v been busy with work and trying to deal with a few important things. Anyway I hope you all like this!

When Noctis woke he knew immediately where he was. There was no mistaking the sterile antiseptic smell of the medical wing. Groaning softly he braced himself to be all but assaulted by nurses and doctors. Instead he heard the rustling to pages being turned every few seconds. Blinking slowly it took the white haired man a second to properly get his bearings. When he did he was more than a little surprised to see Nyx sitting in the chair beside him, a small book in his hands. 

 

As he shifted the man slowly marked his place in his book and put the item back in his coat. For a good few minutes nothing was said before the older man sighed softly. Rising to his feet Nyx tapped something into his phone before turning to the white haired man. Noctis just watched him, wondering what the other was going to say. 

 

“I’m glad you’re awake, Your Highness. His majesty will be up to see you shortly,” Nyx said with a low bow. “In the meantime I am here as both your guard and a familiar face. Should you need anything please let me know.” 

 

Noctis just stared at him for a moment before the words actually registered, “I’m sorry? Did I just hear you call me “Your Highness”? What the hell is that all about? Last time I checked I’m not royalty.”

 

“I am sorry, sir. That’s just what I have been told by both His Majesty and by at least one of your doctors,” Nyx said, face unreadable. 

 

“I think my brain is shorting out here... Someone has to be screwing with us both,” Noctis said before looking down and mumbling. “Though hearing you call me Your Highness is kinda nice...” 

 

Nyx ignored that last part despite feeling is face heat suddenly, “My apologies in advance, sire, but no one is screwing with either of us. Something in the way you reacted to His Majesty convinced him enough to have the doctors run DNA tests on you. I overheard one of the doctors talking about it. Whether you like it or not, sir, you  _ are _ royalty.”

 

The white haired man just stared at him for several moments before looking down. Nyx heard him mumbling and muttering, but chose to tune him out after hearing him say something about him being really hot. IT was probably better that he forget he was ever even attracted to the younger man in the first place. Noctis being the son of Ardyn Izunia was a good reason, but this one was much better. No way in hell could anything come of a glaive falling for royalty. Nyx didn't have to wait too much longer before a soft knock sounded on the door. 

 

Noctis looked up, startled, before finding his voice, "Y-yes?” 

 

The door swung into the room revealing King Regis on the other side. Noctis balled his fists up in the sheets as the man entered, but otherwise didn’t move. The glaive bowed as the king stepped closer. Regis made a slight gesture that had Nyx heading for the door. 

 

Right before he slid into the hall Noctis spoke, “Wait, please.”   

 

“Is there something wrong, my son?” Regis asked carefully even as he settled slowly into a chair. 

 

“Please, don’t call me that... I’m still.... Trying to process this..." Noctis mumbled shaking his head slowly and running a hand across his face. 

 

Regis just watched him for a moment before nodding slowly, "I understand. Sir Ulric, stay. I believe this conversation will go better if you are present."

 

"Yes, Your Majesty," Nyx murmured as he closed the door and took up a position next to it.

 

Noctis just looked at the man for a minute, clearly grateful that he was staying, before turning back to the king, “So, we really are going to keep up the whole I’m somehow royalty thing?  Because if you’re screwing with me it’s not funny.” 

 

“This is no joke, Noctis. You are my son, thought lost twelve years ago at the age of eight,” Regis said, eyes and voice tight. “A Miralith attacked our car on the way back from Tenebrae. The last I saw of you that night was when it tossed you down a ravine...”

 

“Wherein one of the vehicles was tossed after me and crushed my legs on its way down...” Noctis finished slowly, dark eyes wide. “Why is it that the minute you started talking about this I feel like I remember more of the accident? I don’t understand...”

 

“That I cannot tell you, my... boy,” Regis sighed slowly.

 

The knight knew without even thinking about it that the king had been about to call him “my son”, but stopped himself. It looked like the change of address physically pained the older man. Noctis realized that it probably did hurt to not be able to call your long lost child yours after finally finding him again. Looking to the side he tightened his hands in the bed sheets before realizing something. 

 

“No one said anything about my legs yet,” he murmured smoothing out a hand and feeling the connection point beneath the sheets. “I’m a little surprised by that.” 

 

“I assumed that it would be better to wait to speak with the doctor about them until after you regained your bearings,” Regis explained shifting in his chair a bit. 

 

“I don’t mind talking about it now. I’ve been in enough hospital rooms and whatnot to be able to handle the way doctors act,” Noctis shrugged affecting an indifferent look despite being just a tad bit nervous. 

 

Regis just nodded before pushing the button to call the doctor. Nyx, on the other hand, took note of the tense set of the younger man’s shoulders. Noctis was decidedly not comfortable but clearly wanted to get this over and done with sooner rather than later. The glaive said nothing. He just shifted closer to the bed. 

 

His movement did not go unnoticed by the white haired man. Noctis looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. Nyx was fairly certain that if he hadn’t just been outed as the Dragon Knight of Niflheim the younger man would have reached for his hand. As it was the younger warrior just fisted his hands in the sheets in an effort to keep from doing just that. Before either man could get too far into his own head the doctor stepped into the room. 

 

“Your Highness! I’m glad you are awake,” the man was way too chipper and everyone could see that it was just a little forced because of the tightness of his eyes. “There is much that we need to discuss.”

 

“Alright, shoot,” Nocits said folding his arms across his chest. 

 

The man frowned slightly before turning to Nyx, “This is a family matter. I would ask that you step into the hall please.” 

 

The derision in the man’s tone set Noctis’s teeth on edge. Before he could snap at the man, though, Regis fixed the doctor with a hard look that had the man backing down with a shallow bow. Stepping forward nervously the doctor looked between the three before looking down at the chart in his hands. Nothing was said for a few moments though the doctor could be seen making faces like he was trying to speak but couldn’t figure out how he wanted to word things. Noctis eventually let out a sigh and told the man to get on with it. That seemed to do the trick because the man squared his shoulders and looked at the newly discovered price in the eye.    

 

“Your Highness upon our examination of you we discovered that something is siphoning off your magic. We have no idea what it could be, nor what the ramifications of it are. The one thing we do know is that it needs to be dealt with before any major damage could be done,” the man said, face grim. 

 

Noctis just looked at him for a minute before bursting out laughing. That earned him a frown from Regis and a faint eyebrow twitch from Nyx. The doctor looked like he wanted to call  someone in to give him a psych evaluation. Noctis managed to get himself under control after a good minute of seemingly hysterical laughter. 

 

As he was wiping a tear from his eye the doctor finally found his voice, “How can you be laughing at a time like this? This is a serious problem, Your Highness! It needs to be dealt with!”

 

“No, actually, it doesn’t. Prosthetics in the Empire all happen to be MagiTek, in case you didn’t know,” Noctis said still smiling even as he waved a hand at his flushed cheeks. “Mine happen to be different because the normal way of making MagiTek almost killed me. The prosthetics take their energy to function from my magic itself and then recycle it back into my system. There is nothing to be concerned about.”

 

“Prosthetics?” Regis asked slowly, sounding horrified. 

 

Noctis just looked at him for a moment before speaking, “Yes. My legs from about mid thigh down are MagiTek as well as the  entirety of my back, all the way down to the skeletal structure of my back.” 

 

The other three occupants of the room just stared at him. Nyx had known that his legs were artificial, but finding out that they were MagiTek and so was hi back through the man for a loop. Regis had a horrified look on his face at the thought of his only child having to deal with artificial limbs and more as a child while the doctor looked like he really wanted to pull the knight apart to find out how the prosthetics ticked. 

 

“Is that all you were worried about, doc? Because I’d really like to know when I can get home.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments/kudos and bookmarks! They feed my soul! 
> 
> I know this cuts off a little abruptly, but that was just where it felt right to end it. Hope you liked it and will stay tuned for next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!
> 
> Also, no you people are not reading the name in the inner thoughts blurb wrong. *evil laugh*


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